Carney meets with trade committee; Poilievre pushes back on ‘campaign malpractice’ criticism; Singh mum on future as NDP leader

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Response to Trump's tariffs giving Canadians a 'test drive' of Carney as PM: Liberal strategist

Singh says he's 'focused on the campaign' when asked if this is his last election as NDP leader

'Your vote does matter': Jagmeet Singh asked if he thinks the election is over

Poilievre responds to allegations of 'campaign malpractice' as Conservative's polling lead erodes

Poilievre guarantees 'no laws restricting abortion' will pass if he becomes PM

The leaders of the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP rounded out the third week of the federal election campaign in Ontario.

Mark Carney was in Ottawa after pausing his campaign as Liberal leader once again to deal with the latest developments in the trade war instigated by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Jagmeet Singh also started his day in Ottawa, speaking at the Broadbent Institute’s Progress Summit. He later faced questions about whether this would be his last election as NDP leader, answering that his focus remained on the current campaign.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre began his day in St. Catharines, where he unveiled his “Canada First Economic Action Plan.” In the evening, he headed to Windsor for another of his “Canada First” rallies, which have drawn large crowds this week.

Here’s a recap of what happened on Day 19 of the campaign.

6:28 p.m. EDT: Alberta RCMP investigating ‘discriminatory’ vandalism to NDP signs

The RCMP is investigating after NDP campaign signs were spray-painted with “discriminatory slurs” in the Alberta community of Sundre.

Authorities said they received several reports of the vandalism between Wednesday and Friday, and noted that damaging election signs is a criminal offence.

The maximum penalty for the charge of mischief to property worth less than $5,000 is two years in jail.

Mounties have not given any further indication of what was written on the signs.

Earlier this month, the RCMP investigated vandalism targeting political signs on Vancouver Island, including those of controversial Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn.

Andrew Weichel, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

2 :05 p.m. EDT : Poilievre comments on GM layoffs

The leader of the Conservatives weighed in on the announced shutdown of the General Motors CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont., on Friday.

In a statement, Pierre Poilievre said he was “incredibly saddened” by the news, and that a Conservative government would “push hard” to end the trade war with the U.S. to protect Canadian jobs.

“We must strengthen our economy and end our reliance on the United States,” he said.

While there has been speculation the temporary shutdown is related to U.S. tariffs, the company blamed a lack of demand for the vehicles assembled at the plant, including the BrightDrop EV delivery truck.

A source at GM told CTV News there is excess inventory of the BrightDrop on both sides of the border.

The company plans to resume plant operations in October, though the source said some of the layoffs, which are expected to begin April 14, will be permanent.

Andrew Weichel, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

1:18 p.m. EDT: Singh stays mum on his future as NDP leader

Jagmeet Singh is keeping mum on whether he will step down as federal leader of the NDP after election day.

“I’m focused on the campaign in front of me and the choice in front of me, and that’s a very important choice. We’re up against a real scary time,” Singh said when asked if this is his last election as leader, a post he has held since 2017.

“I ask Canadians to consider who’s going to fight for you, who’s going to stand for you, who’s going to fight for the things you need, relief when it comes to your groceries, homes you can afford, make sure that EI covers workers who are now worried about losing their jobs,” said Singh. “In all of this, New Democrats will have your back. So, send more New Democrats to Ottawa.”

According to the latest Nanos Research tracking, the NDP are a distant third from the Liberals and the Conservatives. Recent Nanos seat projections have Singh at risk of losing his B.C. riding of Burnaby Central.

Singh was also asked when the moment was that he decided to stop campaigning to become prime minister. The NDP leader sidestepped the question, instead reiterating that New Democrats will make a “big difference” in Canadians’ lives.

“I think more than ever, Canadians need New Democrats in Ottawa fighting for them,” said Singh, who is in Ottawa, where he attended the Broadbent Institute’s Progress Summit this morning.

Bryann Aguilar, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

12:30 p.m. EDT: Carney meets with Canada-U.S. committee in Ottawa

Prime Minister Mark Carney is back in Ottawa today to hold meetings in response to the ongoing global trade war.

Briefly speaking to reporters after the meeting of his Canada-U.S. committee this morning, Carney shared they had a “good and long discussion” about the situation.

“We reviewed our response to those tariffs, our core strategy of to fight, to protect and to build,” Carney said.

“We left instructions for officials to ensure that the next government, whichever government, Canadians choose, will be in the best possible position for negotiations with the United States.”

This is the third time that Carney paused his Liberal election campaign to convene his cabinet to discuss the trade war.

Today’s meeting was held in the wake of the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China, which has put global markets in flux over the past week.

U.S. President Donald Trump has hiked his tariff rate on Chinese imports to 145 per cent and in response, Chinese President Xi Jinping has increased tariffs on American goods to 125 per cent.

“In the last week, there have been a lot of developments in terms of U.S. tariff policy reactions from others, including China. Really marked tightening in financial conditions, the initial signs of slowing in the global economy, impacts that we’re starting to see, unfortunately, in the Canadian economy, particularly in the Canadian labour market,” Carney said.

Bryann Aguilar, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

11:55 a.m. EDT: Poilievre says blowing lead in the polls not campaign malpractice

Pierre Poilievre does not agree with the assessment of Stephen Harper’s former director of communications, Kory Teneycke, who said that blowing a huge lead in the polls is “campaign malpractice at the highest level.”

Teneycke, also the campaign director of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who recently won his third majority government, made the comment on the Curse of Politics podcast.

“Blowing a 25-point lead and being like 10 points down is campaign malpractice at the highest level,” he said.

“So when I talk about campaign malpractice, blowing a lead that big, and your response being, ‘I don’t believe in the polls,’ I don’t know. I think it’s kind of weak sauce,” Teneycke later told Power Play host Vassy Kapelos, referring to Tory supporters who were questioning the polls.

After being ahead of the Liberals for almost two years, the Tories saw their lead shrink and disappear as the election campaign began. With two weeks left until election day, they are currently trailing the Liberals, who have gained steam following the resignation of Justin Trudeau and Trump returning to the White House.

During a campaign stop in St. Catharines, Ont., this morning, the Tory leader responded to Teneycke’s remarks when a reporter asked: “Is it campaign malpractice?”

“No,” Poilievre replied.

He vowed that despite what “Liberals and lobbyists” want him to do, he will not stop talking about high food prices, doubling housing costs, and crime.

“After the lost Liberal decade of rising costs and crime and a falling economy under America’s thumb, we can’t afford a fourth Liberal term. We need a change, with a new Conservative government that will axe taxes, build homes, unleash our resources, lock up criminals, and bring home a safe, affordable country for our people,” Poilievre said.

Teneycke has been a vocal critic of the Conservative campaign strategy, which he said failed to pivot its focus on U.S. President Donald Trump and his threats, the top election issue for voters.

Earlier in the campaign, reports surfaced of turmoil within the Conservative party over how they were addressing the Trump issue.

Meanwhile, when asked in French if he was afraid of facing the media, which has been limited to four questions during news conferences, Poilievre said no.

When pressed further about the limit, Poilievre did not directly give a reason but instead maintained that unlike Liberal Leader Mark Carney, who he says refuses to directly address allegations related to his previous job at Brookfield Asset Management, he was available to respond to inquiries.

Bryann Aguilar, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist. With files from Spencer Van Dyk.

11:18 a.m. EDT: Trump loyalist endorses Poilievre

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre received a questionable endorsement Friday from former U.S. congressman Matt Gaetz.

“Carney won’t do well in the upcoming debate,” Gaetz wrote on social media. “Take Pierre now!”

Gaetz was a loyalist to U.S. President Donald Trump before resigning this year, in the face of a House Ethics Committee investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Poilievre has ramped up criticism of Trump during the campaign, after being targeted in attack ads that compared him to the U.S. president.

CTV News reached out to the Conservatives for a response to Gaetz’s endorsement on Friday evening, but has not received a response.

Andrew Weichel, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

10:55 a.m. EDT: Poilievre promises no restrictions on woman’s right to choose

Pierre Poilievre vowed Friday that a Conservative government would never impose restrictions on abortion.

“I can guarantee you there will be no laws restricting abortion passed when I’m prime minister,” Poilievre said during a campaign stop in St. Catharines, Ont.

His comment came in response to a reporter’s question – citing a local candidate’s alleged ties to a U.S. anti-abortion group – about whether he would allow MPs to vote their conscience on the matter in Parliament.

Responding, Poilievre strongly emphasized that the Conservative Party has held as policy for more than two decades that there will be no restrictions imposed on a woman’s right to choose.

Read the full story here.

Joshua Freeman, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

10 a.m. EDT: Poilievre revives Harper-era ‘economic action plan’ messaging

Hi, I’m Rachel Aiello and I’m covering the Conservative Party campaign today.

At an event at the Port Weller Dry Docks Shipyard, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has packaged up a series of his election promises and is framing it as a “Canada First Economic Action Plan.”

The language here is notable to me, as it directly echoes the Stephen Harper Conservative majority era “Economic Action Plan” branding that was used on signage and in budgetary documents during his tenure.

The Harper plan was a package of economic measures aimed at promoting economic growth and job protection.

Today, Poilievre talked about that plan and how there are differences between the economic context the Harper plan was introduced under and now, but that the sentiment is the same.

“Poilievre’s new Canada First Economic Action plan will make life affordable again and supercharge Canada’s economy with major new infrastructure and resource projects across the country, rebuilding our country and turning Canada into an economic powerhouse once again,” reads the party press release on today’s announcement.

Evoking Harper is something Poilievre also did during his rally last night in Woolwich, Ont., and there, bringing up the former prime minister received considerable applause from Conservatives.

Rachel Aiello, CTV News national correspondent

9:30 a.m. EDT: Conservatives pitch ‘Canada First Economic Action Plan’

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is in St. Catharines, Ont., pitching his “Canada First Economic Action Plan.”

In a news release, the party says its plan would boost Canada’s economic activity by a total of $500 billion dollars over the next five years.

The party is harkening back to the financial crisis of 2008, when then-prime minister Stephen Harper unveiled an Economic Action Plan to bolster the economy. However they say that life now is less affordable, with higher taxes, along with higher food and home prices.

The plan includes cuts to income taxes, as well as cuts to taxes on homes and new cars – promises the Conservatives have previously announced during the campaign.

It also incorporates other previously announced promises, such as boosting energy and mineral extraction, getting rid of the industrial carbon tax, fast-tracking approvals for key infrastructure projects and eliminating one dollar of government spending for every new dollar in spending.

Poilievre is expected to provide more details when he speaks.

Joshua Freeman, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist

Liberal lead ticks back up over Conservatives

The Liberals’ lead is back up to six points over the Conservatives on Day 20 of the 36-day federal election campaign.

A three-day rolling sample by Nanos Research ending April 10 has the Liberals at 44 per cent over the Conservatives who have stayed at 38 per cent nationally.

The New Democratic Party remains in single digits at nine per cent, followed by the Bloc Quebecois (six per cent), Green Party of Canada (three per cent) and the People’s Party of Canada (two per cent).

Regionally, chief data scientist Nik Nanos calls it an east versus west “showdown” with the Liberals leading in Eastern Canada, the Conservatives leading in the Prairies and British Columbia being a “toss-up.”

When it comes to whom Canadians prefer as prime minister, Carney still has a comfortable lead, with 47 per cent choosing him over Poilievre, who has risen a few points over the past week and now sits at 34 per cent.

Read the full story here.

Phil Hahn, CTVNews.ca election editor-in-chief

On the trail: Inside a Conservative rally in the Soo

The two sisters, both silver haired and in their sixties, arrived at Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s rally in Sault Ste. Marie later than they wanted. The line had already snaked around the corner of The Machine Shop – an event venue housed in a historic paper mill.

Among the crowd, parents with toddlers bundled in toques, and burly steelworkers dressed in plaid. It was -5 degrees and colder with the windchill.

Older sister Cathy Nichols once worked for the provincial conservative party. She wanted to come and assess the federal leader in person.

“I just want politicians to really stand up for the people in the country and to be honest and sometimes set aside the politics and do what’s right for the country,” said older sister Cathy Nichols, who worked for the provincial Conservative party.

Nichols thinks Poilievre will be the leader to do that, but she wanted to hear it with her own ears, in person.

“I want to hear how he’s going to cut the deficit as well. We are hearing how they’re spending money, but not how they’re going to find the money to pay for all the promises they’re making,” she said.

Read the full story here.

Judy Trinh, CTV News national correspondent

Latest projections put Liberals in minority territory

With polls showing the Conservatives closing the gap on the leading Liberals, the latest seat projections from Nanos Research point to a minority government led by Mark Carney.

According to the organization, the Liberals would have taken at least 156 seats if the election were held April 6, when the projections were prepared.

That’s down 17 ridings from the previous week.

Pierre Poilievre’s party would have won at least 114 ridings, up eight from the last projections, released March 30.

Speaking to CTV’s Power Play, Nik Nanos, chief data scientist at Nanos Research, noted there were still 53 ridings considered “too close to call,” describing the current state of the campaign as “a horse race.”

Andrew Weichel, CTVNews.ca federal election journalist